Alternatives › Bondery: Keep Friends Close
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Ciao! vs Bondery: Keep Friends Close
Bondery: Keep Friends Close, by Deniz Erdogan
An iPhone app where each person has a bond strength that fades from green to yellow to orange, with notes, special days and AI icebreakers.
No ratings in the App Store yet, October 2026. iPhone only. Released in July 2026, last updated in August 2026.
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Ciao!
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Bondery: Keep Friends Close
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| What it costs | One payment $9.99 |
Free core, or Bondery+ at $2.99 a month or $19.99 a year |
| Free tier | 3 friends | Core features, with a limit on people and AI suggestions (number not stated) |
| Account needed | None | Yes, since its August 2026 update |
| Where it runs | iPhone | iPhone |
| Where your notes live | Your phone and your own iCloud | Your phone, with an optional backup to your own iCloud |
| A creature for each friend | 15 animals, 6 moods | No. A colour for each person, from green to orange |
| A weekly swipe deck | Yes | No. A reminder for each person |
Every row comes from Bondery: Keep Friends Close’s own App Store listing or website, read on 2 October 2026. Nothing here is taken from another app’s reviews.
Sources: Bondery on the App Store
Where Bondery wins
- •It can suggest a first message from your notes, and you send the one you like on WhatsApp or SMS.
- •Countdowns for birthdays, anniversaries and New Year’s, with a place for gift ideas and photos.
- •You can dictate a note, and pick a theme and a background for each person.
Where Ciao! wins
- •No account. Bondery has asked everyone to sign in since its August 2026 update.
- •Ciao! never writes the message. Your note tells you what to ask about, and the words stay yours.
- •$9.99 once. Bondery+ is $19.99 every year.
Which one should you actually get?
The two apps start from the same idea: something for each friend that fades until you talk. Pick Bondery if you want help finding the words, since it drafts a first message from your notes. Pick Ciao! if you would rather write it yourself, skip the sign-in, and pay once.
